USL eCup: FIFA 20 Edition – Power Rankings, Week 1

Toros surge to the top thanks to combination of top squad, player ahead of Division play kickoff

One week down, one bracket complete, and all change in the Power Rankings.

Rio Grande Valley FC’s Kembo Kibato proved the ideal combination of player and squad, with Brazil lighting up the scoreboard to sit on top of the points leaderboard after the opening 32-team bracket.

Now the question will be whether he can hold onto his crown in Division A, or if a new challenger can rise to defeat him.

With non-players available for action this week, that could mean taking on those with prime eSports experience, with the New York Red Bulls II’s Mike LaBelle one of those potentially lying in wait.

Things get back underway on Monday night as Division C kicks off for the first time, with Division B and Division A following suit on Tuesday night. Check out the schedule for all the action on Twitch here.

If Tyreke Johnson had kept things closer with Scotland in Saturday’s final against the Toros, you could have made a case for him being No. 1 thanks to a far less talented squad. Great start from the English winger, though.

There was an element of luck to Greenville’s getting to the Quarterfinals after coming away with victory despite Charlotte recording 10 shots on goal to no avail. It will be interesting to see if Triumph SC can find more with Poland this week, or whether it’s time for relegation.

The Independence got pretty unlucky to be eliminated in the Round of 16 by Greenville, and now they’ve got the bad luck of a draw against the Red Bulls II and a potential eMLS pro waiting for them to kick off this week.

Lights FC showed a fine up-tick in form from its Rocket League performance to settle into Division A for Week 2. It’s going to be a challenge to get past Union Omaha and Norway to retain that place, though.

The Union II had Division A in its sights before it coughed up a lead late against the Red Bulls II in the Round of 16. Redemption should be the goal this week, and with Spain as their squad it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this group in Saturday’s Final.

Republic FC pulled off El Tri’s usual trick of getting to the Round of 16 and then getting eliminated. At least they’re safe from relegation this week – like everyone in Liga MX for the next five years – as they await the winner of Colorado Springs and Tampa Bay.

The Monarchs did about what you’d expect them to in Week 1, defeating Turkey before falling to a powerful French side. With an avenue to the Quarterfinals against either El Paso or Memphis, they could be in the promoted group to Division A next week.

Losing a one-goal thriller to Phoenix and the Netherlands in the opening round wasn’t a poor result, but the bad news for OCSC is it’ll have to go through Rising FC to earn promotion if it can beat Charleston in the opening round of Week 2.

If Legion FC can maintain the form that gave it a two-goal lead against third-place winner Austin for a full 90 minutes in Division C against Louisville on Monday night, it could be on its way to earning the bracket title and a move up next week.

Dre Fortune’s credentials got a big thumbs up from Kelsi Steele as the draw was being made. He’ll need all of those skills to repair NCFC’s gaming reputation after it got swept in the group stage of Rocket League.

Locomotive FC has all the ingredients to make a run in Division B this week, especially with Argentina as its squad. The question is who’ll step up to the mark to make Messi and co. sing after last week’s elimination by Scotland?

The Rowdies almost had Union Omaha right where they wanted them until a late turnaround lifted Los Buhos to victory. Tampa Bay’s eSports players could come to the fore this week to take aim at Division A.

The Switchbacks got to overtime before being eliminated in the Round of 32 by the Philadelphia Union II, but this looks like an offensively challenged side that’s going to have to be buttoned up defensively to make a dent against Tampa Bay.

The Battery’s Rocket League success didn’t carry over to FIFA, although it was a pretty well-contested game against Saint Louis FC. A matchup with Orange County to avoid relegation to Division C to open up Week 2 is going to be a challenge, though.

Los Dos couldn’t get in sync with Sweden and it resulted in defeat to Las Vegas Lights FC in their USL eCup debut. I’m not quire sure who’s going to be the favorite when they meet Tacoma Defiance and Slovenia for promotion to Division B on Monday.

Sad to say, Tulsa just looked overmatched against OKC Energy FC and Portugal to kick off its USL eCup. They’ve got a much more manageable contest against Indy Eleven and Cote D’Ivoire in Division C on Monday with a chance at promotion on the line.

A 5-0 defeat to open the tournament didn’t look good at the time, but then Rio Grande Valley FC thumped everyone else on its way to the title. A drop was in order, but this week is more likely to tell us how good Tucson is at this game.

Getting the lowest seed available in Wales wasn’t ideal, but there were still some nice moments from Magnus Rasmussen in defeat to Charlotte. They get a matchup with another team with something to prove in Birmingham on Monday.

Things just didn’t go to plan for 901 FC against Sacramento, which then proceeded to get thumped in its next outing. Now they have to face Argentina and El Paso with relegation to Division C on the line.